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Taking Measure

Just a Standard Blog

Rik Johnsson

Rik Johnsson is a mechanical engineer in the Fire Research Division’s WUI Fire Group. During his 29-year career at NIST, he has studied compartment fires, smoke toxicity, cooking fires, and vehicle fires, but more recently, his focus has been on wind-driven fire spread from accessory structures around buildings. Rik holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in mechanical engineering from Virginia Tech.

partially knocked down fence in the foreground, a wildfire in the background

Knocking Down Fences for Fire Research

Wildfires don’t stop where the wilderness ends. They burn through communities and neighborhoods, destroying property and taking lives. In 2018, the California